


I'll Always Save You

by diice



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Acts of Kindness, Drowning, During Canon, Falling In Love, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Not Beta Read, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-23 06:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23006869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diice/pseuds/diice
Summary: When he attempts to tame Vah Ruta, Link messes up. He's used to fighting all of his battles alone.
Relationships: Link/Prince Sidon
Comments: 7
Kudos: 225





	I'll Always Save You

With a frightening roar, Divine Beast Vah Ruta is in a vulnerable state. Its mechanized tail moves up and down, water continuing to flow out of its trunk.

"Here we go!" Prince Sidon says, beginning to swim up to one of the beast's waterfalls. One down, three more to go. The Divine Beast is intimidating, but this fight hasn't been as hard as Link imagined. His eyes are on the Zora prince for no more than a moment. It's because of him, isn't it? Yes, _obviously,_ but every second counts; Link can't afford to admire his friend. As soon as Sidon swims up to Ruta's side, Link leaps off of him and swims up the waterfall. The Champion emerges in seconds. Already having his bow and Shock Arrows ready, Link takes aim. 

Wait.

He already shot this orb! The other three are still glowing pink. Vah Ruta releases another cry, almost in response to this mistake. No big deal. With his paraglider, Link glides to the nearest pink orb, stamina lowering to less than half. He doesn't need much to just fire an arrow.

Time slows down. Shutting his left eye, Link makes precise aim, deciding to swap out bows at the last second so that he can use the Savage Lynel Bow he snagged from the Lynel he defeated at Ploymus Mountain. With the ability to fire three arrows at once, Link is certain that failure is out of the question. 

He fires. Fast as lightning, the Shock Arrows land on the pink orb, zapping the power from it instantly. Link pumps his fist in the air, pride surging through him. He feels like he's on top of the world, descending at a slower rate than he's used to. It's like he's flying.

Until he plummets.

The Champion invested all of his spirit orbs in heart containers. It was the rational thing to do, he thought when he stood before the goddess statues. He had opportunities to swap them out for stamina vessels. He declined.

Faster than a swing of his sword, the Hylian that all of Zora's Domain put their trust into drops down, flailing around like a fish on land, whipping out his paraglider at the last second and falling into the water below. He sinks.

Link opens his mouth, deep blue water filling it the second he did. Out of alarm, his eyes follow suit, if only to confirm the fact that he really is submerged in water without an ounce of stamina to spare. An alarmed, choked noise erupts from him before his mouth closes. Link looks to the surface. It's not much brighter than underwater. He tries to kick his legs, but all that he can manage is one pathetic kick, energy completely vanished. How's he going to get out of this one?

Ruta trumpets again. The audio is distant, its threatening roar no longer so as Link is further submerged in darker and darker water. Is it _wailing?_

Link wonders if this is how Mipha died.

He's too far underwater to swim back up. Not that he had the energy to do so. His mouth and nostrils are filled with water, but for one last pathetic attempt, he outstretches an arm, the Hylian Champion's palm open. He barely remembers anything. Ruta was the first Divine Beast he decided to tame. Was it the hardest, he asks himself, regret sinking into him? Was the convenient path from Kakariko Village to Zora's Domain a trap? He doesn't know if he was either unprepared or got unlucky by taking on the most difficult beast; he'll never know.

Mipha would be pained to know that her Zora Armor couldn't save him. He wanted to set her free. If she's still alive, trapped inside that terrifying Divine Beast, then this was her only chance to escape. Link failed her. Were they lovers, one hundred years ago? That possibility makes the pain sting even more. He wants to feel her touch again, the restorative power that she graced him. The arm he is reaching out is the one that Mipha was healing in that distant, tender memory. He'll be joining her soon. 

Link's Zora Armor is suddenly grabbed by a hand significantly larger than his own. His eyes, which were slowly shutting, open wide in alarm. For a second, he thinks it's Mipha showing up to take him to the afterlife. No. Zelda's knight won't die that easily, not when he still has a job to do. Prince Sidon's yellow eyes find Link's own, his positive, radiating smile filling the Champion with reinvigorated zeal. Sidon's not mad. Rather, the opposite. The prince brings Link close, placing him on his long back, and swims up to the surface like the distance is nothing.

He coughs out the water that filled his throat and nearly drowned his lungs. The air feels cold and causes him to shiver, but he couldn't be happier to be in it. He takes long, deep breaths, having been denied oxygen longer than he can imagine. Sidon floats beneath him, watching. Waiting until Link is okay to resume. It's such a simple act; the Zora's kindness is genuine, and there's something about the way he held Link that has his heart pounding. From the moment he woke up, Link's journey has been a lonely one. He has become accustomed to getting himself out of dangerous battles, saving lives regardless whether they'll be angry at him for doing so, relying on cryptic hints and being told that he must fight Ganon as soon as possible. This is the first time Link has ever been saved. He feels _vulnerable_ , but the Champion doesn't mind. He can rely on Prince Sidon. 

Sidon is smiling, even now, as he turns away from Link to gaze ahead at the Divine Beast that's preparing it's next attack. "I'll always save you," he says; his voice is tender, and in that moment, even if it was for mere seconds, Link understands that this is Sidon's way of opening his heart. They have a Divine Beast to tame. A princess to save. Link removes the wet hair stuck on his face, holding up his Sheikah Slate so that he can break the ice using Cryonis. He may never know if he loved Mipha or Zelda, but right now, during this battle, his heart belongs to Prince Sidon, and that is all he needs to regain the strength to defeat Vah Ruta.


End file.
